Admissions Information

The inaugural class of students in the Dental Program began classes in the summer of 2011. Students wishing to be considered for admission in 2013 may initiate the formal application process in June 2012. Click AADSAS Dental School Application in order to begin your application.

Residency Requirements

The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine is a state-supported professional school, with a mission to provide dentists to serve the people of North Carolina. At this time, enrollment is limited to residents of North Carolina.

Criteria for NC residency at ECU can be found by CLICKING HERE

ECU SoDM Residency Application Form
(*ONLY FILL THIS OUT IF YOU HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY THE SoDM ADMISSIONS OFFICE) - Please fill out this form electronically, then print and mail to the address listed on the application.

The ECU School of Dental Medicine actively seeks to admit students with established roots and connections to North Carolina, and who have a desire to serve the communities of need throughout the state.

Required Coursework

Successful applicants must have completed - or be on track to complete - an undergraduate bachelor's degree prior to dental school matriculation. No specific undergraduate major is required, but regardless of the major interest area, applicants must complete - at a minimum - the following specifically required courses:

Biological Sciences (8 semester hours)

A minimum of one year of general biology or zoology is required. This includes lecture and laboratory courses for the entire year (courses designed for biology majors required). Botany will not satisfy this requirement.

General/Inorganic Chemistry (8 semester hours)

A minimum of one year of general/inorganic chemistry, including lecture and laboratory courses for the entire year, is required.

Organic Chemistry (8 semester hours)

A minimum of one year of organic chemistry, including lecture and laboratory courses for the entire year, is required.

General Physics (8 semester hours)

A minimum of one year of general physics, including lecture and laboratory courses for the entire year, is required.

English (6 semester hours)

A minimum of one year of English composition is required. English as a second language (ESL) courses are not accepted.

Mathematics (6 semester hours)

A minimum of one year of college level mathematics (College Algebra and above) is required.

Applicants are urged to complete pre-requisite courses at a four-year university. A letter grade is required for all pre-requisite courses, and courses in which the applicant earns below a C must be repeated. Moreover, applicants are expected to achieve superior grades, since these courses best predict performance in the biological sciences of the dental curriculum. All admission requirements must be completed no later than June 30th of the desired year of matriculation.

No more than 60 of the minimum required credits will be accepted from a community college or junior college. Furthermore, these credits must have been validated (i.e., accepted for transfer credit) by an accredited college or arts and sciences.

Advanced Placement (AP) credits will be accepted, provided that they are accepted by the undergraduate degree granting institution. Students who have earned AP credit for pre-requisite courses should avail themselves of the opportunity to take additional, advanced level courses.

Applicants will not be admitted with unresolved failures or other unfavorable conditions. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to modify the prerequisites when additional courses are necessary to improve an applicant's preparation for dental school. Admission requirements are subject to change without prior notice.

Admissions Requirements

The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is required of all applicants who seek admission to the School of Dental Medicine. Information about this test may be obtained online from the American Dental Association (ADA). Applicants should plan to take this test in the spring, but no later than fall, of the year prior to their desired dental school matriculation date. Official DAT scores should be reported directly through the AADSAS application. DAT scores older than three years may not be accepted. American Dental Association (ADA)

Recommended additional coursework

While not required, courses in biochemistry, general microbiology, comparative anatomy, physiology, embryology/histology, vertebrate physiology, anatomy, genetics and cell biology, statistics, humanities, and psychology are recommended.

Note: Academic transcripts should not be sent to the School of Dental Medicine unless specifically requested by the Office of Admissions.

Supplemental Application

Once the AADSAS application is processed by AADSAS and transmitted to the School of Dental Medicine, the Office of Admissions will contact the student via email. The email will include instructions for completing a supplemental application. There will be an $80 application fee.

Please ensure that your email and spam filters are set to accept mail from sodmadmissions@ecu.edu, or you will not be able to receive emails from the school as we communicate with you concerning your application status.

Letters of Recommendation

For applicants who are attending or have attended an institution that has a pre-health professions committee, the Admissions Committee requires a committee letter rather than individual letters of recommendation. Alternatively, for applicants whose institution does not offer such an option, two recommendation letters - one from a Biology professor and one from a Chemistry professor, both of who have taught the applicant and know the applicant well - may be substituted.

Each applicant should also provide one letter of recommendation from a (non-relative) dentist, currently practicing or retired from practice in North Carolina, describing how well the dentist knows the applicant, and describing the dentist's assessment of the applicant's character, ethical bearing, maturity and commitment to serving the community. This letter MUST be on official letterhead.

All of these recommendation letters should be submitted through AADSAS, and should not be sent directly to the School of Dental Medicine unless specifically requested.